It feels great to finally be able to announce the book. It’s been thirteen months since I sat down with Jonathan Eaton, co-owner of Tilbury House Publishers, at the A-1 Diner in Gardiner and sketched out what would become an all-consuming endeavor for months of my life. We decided there that we wanted to tell the real story of the LePage administration – to go beyond his controversial comments and examine the real effects of his policies and governance. I think we’ve succeeded.

I also wanted to tell the story of the 2010 election and the rise of the Tea Party in Maine, the most consequential political shift in our state in decades. It’s a story of national importance; the election of LePage and a conservative legislature is a perfect case study for the rest of the country of what happens when the Tea Party takes over.

One of the hardest parts of this process has been finding out fascinating or deeply troubling things about the LePage administration or campaign and deciding not to write about them here and save them for the book. Somehow, I’ve managed to restrain myself and the book contains big new revelations about LePage.

As I say in the Kickstarter video, “Even if you think you can’t be surprised by anything Paul LePage does or says at this point, I’m pretty sure you still will be.”

So why should you back this project through Kickstarter when you can just wait a month and buy a copy at your local bookstore instead? I’m hoping that, in addition to wanting to be one of the absolutely first people to get your hands on the book, you also believe this is an important story that needs to be told. Backing the Kickstarter will give us the resources to run a real marketing campaign and get the word out about the book. Obviously, the story is particularly relevant over the next few months as Maine evaluates LePage’s term in office and decides whether to give him another.

I’ll have more to say about the book and the crowdfunding campaign here over the next few days and weeks (and if you back the project, you’ll get more exclusive updates) but for now I’ll end with this: Thanks. Thank you for reading my blog posts and columns going back almost nine years now and for the feedback and support that have made writing them so enjoyable. Your interest and encouragement are what have allowed me to take on new projects like this one. I hope you like the book.

About Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.
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Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.